NON-WORKERS COULD HELP REST OF US

Having become a permanent resident in 1988 for the same reasons snowbirds come to South Florida in the winter, I welcome them and understand their "flight." To say that the traffic is horrendous, not to mention the crowds in restaurants, banks, movies and malls, is an understatement.

I would like to suggest -- no, plead with snowbirds to respect the routines that the permanent residents have established through the years.

First, in regard to traffic, unless it is an emergency or you have a doctor's appointment, please stay off the roads until after 9 a.m. Nothing opens until then anyway. I know you are surprised at all the construction that has occurred while you have been gone, but slow down, look and point to it after 9.

Second, food shopping and banking: It is stressful when I want to make a brief stop in the morning to get a lunch order and I'm standing beside a person who wants three slices of everything -- with paper in-between. The supermarket is open approximately 14 hours a day, seven days a week.

Or when I am standing behind 11 people in the bank during the lunch hour and all they want is to see if their Social Security checks were deposited. While that is important, you can phone an 800 number, and they will tell you that faster than if you were waiting in line.

Please shop and bank while we are at work. Movies and malls are up for grabs.

If you heed this plea, I promise (and my friends will, too) that we will forgo an early bird dinner until June.